The Philippines Bids Farewell to Pope Francis With a Mass at the Manila Cathedral
Manila Cathedral, The Philippines, April 22, 2025. X/ @AbanteNews
April 22, 2025 Hour: 2:39 am
With over 90 million faithful, the Philippines is the country with the largest Catholic population in Asia.
On Tuesday, the Philippines held a Mass in honor of Pope Francis at Manila Cathedral, after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. bid farewell to the pontiff, emphasizing that he “led with wisdom and an open heart to all.”
RELATED:
The Mass in honor of the pope began at 9:00 a.m. local time, officiated by Cardinal Jose Advincula and broadcast live on social media platforms such as Facebook.
At the beginning of the service, the cardinal lit a candle in memory of the pope, affectionately known as ‘Lolo Kiko’—’Grandpa Francis’—in the Philippines, with his portrait displayed prominently in the background.
“The Philippines joins the global Catholic community in mourning the loss of His Holiness Pope Francis. A man of deep faith and humility, Pope Francis led not only with wisdom but also with a heart open to all, especially the poor and forgotten,” lamented Marcos Jr.
With over 90 million faithful, the Philippines is the country with the largest Catholic population in Asia—over 80% of its population—and the third largest in the world, behind only Brazil and Mexico.
Francis, who appointed several Filipino cardinals, visited the archipelago in 2015, when he celebrated a Mass at Tacloban Airport in the eastern part of the country, crowded with faithful, for the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan, which two years earlier had left more than 6,300 dead in the Philippines.
It was the first papal visit to the archipelago in 20 years, following Pope John Paul II’s trip to the country in January 1995, when he was also received by millions.
A Filipino cardinal appointed by Francis, Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, 67, known by the nickname ‘Chito’ in the Philippines, is occasionally mentioned as a possible candidate for the papacy.
Pope Francis died on Monday at 7:35 a.m. at his residence in the Casa Santa Marta, after appearing on Easter Sunday on the balcony of the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica for the Urbi et Orbi blessing.
teleSUR/ JF
Source: EFE